Animals love green spaces, such as home gardens, because they know that they’ll find things to eat there (at least, most of the time!). Landscapers and homeowners know, if you want to keep these animals away from your garden, you'll benefit from learning the best deterrents. We’re here to share some practical tips that are easy to implement:
Know the Enemy
We all love animals, but they have the potential to cause a lot of destruction in gardens. This is why it’s important to know which animal is currently causing damage. While you may have to play detective, you’ll soon know whether a vole, woodchuck, or another type of woodland creature is hanging out in your precious garden (and spoiling all of your hard work!). After figuring out which animal is the problem, move on by reading about the behaviour of that animal. For example, what does it eat? Is it nocturnal? The more you know about how an animal behaves, the easier it will be to keep the animal out.
Get Rid of Hiding Spots
Most animals love to hide or nest – therefore, eliminating the places where they do hide and nest will help to deter them. For example, if there are piles of brush or clumps of tall grass near your garden, getting rid of them may be very helpful. Also, if there are crawl spaces beneath your sundeck, try to block them so that creatures can’t hide and nest there. Basically, making your backyard and the surroundings of your home less amicable to animals will help. If it’s not as pleasant to be in your yard, they may go elsewhere and this means that they’ll forage less in your home garden.
Use Scare Devices
Killing animals just for doing what they instinctively do isn’t humane. This is why people use scare devices, rather than doing harm to animals that wreak havoc in their gardens. There are different types of scare devices (imagine a scarecrow in a field to get the general idea) and these are often a lot more high-tech than the scarecrows that farmers use! Look for ultra-sonic repellers, water sprayers which are activated by motion and reflective tapes. Eventually, animals may realize that these scare devices don’t pose any real threat. However, scare devices may work well until creatures figure out what’s up. Now that you know a few helpful tips, you’ll be ready to protect your home garden from animals. Ritchie Feed & Seed has been providing expert advice to Ottawa gardeners since 1927. Have any more questions about gardening or lawn care? We’re happy to help!
